RoverBabe said:
Ive come to the conclusion that i have always loved these vehicles.
I was wondering if i could get some feed back on both (discovery and range)... Reliability, Safety, Pricing, Accessorie, Personal Dislikes and likes.
On the question of reliability:
My first Discovery was a 2000 Series II. I bought it with approx. 34,000 miles on it, but the dealer threw in a 6 year/100,000 mile warranty (so very worth it - it was fully transferable, and when I sold it without transferring the warranty Land Rover corporate sent me a check for the remainder of the warranty). Never had a major expense other than buying tires. My next Discovery was (and still is) a 2004 SE7 (I tried to find an HSE7 that had everything I wanted, but there were none that exactly matched my requirements in the entire western US - I could have ordered one, but decided to "settle" for my SE7 [the only options it does not have are the Harman Kardon stereo and the HSE badge on the fender]). When I went to pick it up from the dealer it had two things wrong - a problematic air suspension hose that had to be replaced and a malfunctioning O2 sensor (weird that it had these problems before even having 10 miles on the odometer). Obviously both were fixed immediately (in fact, we found these problems before I took delivery and I took a loner Discovery home for 2 more days). The dealer threw in a "Premium Member Maintenance" contract for my troubles.
To summarize, I have had a few "weird" problems, but the customer service at my dealer has far exceeded all of my expectations.
On the question of safety:
We sometimes get quite a bit of snow here in Utah. Last winter I had to take my son to see his doctor, but my wife was out shopping and had the Land Rover. What usually takes 25 minutes to drive took me almost 2 hours in my Nissan Maxima (because of the snow storm and snow drifts). I was scared to death the entire slippery drive (got stuck 3 times on the way in). After finishing up at the doctor's office, I tried leaving the parking lot only to find that I was hopelessly stuck. I called my wife to come "rescue" us. The Land Rover's stock 4-wheel drive system is the most advanced in the world. In the Land Rover, it only took us 30 minutes to get home. I have also taken my "older" Land Rover all over Moab, and it climbs like nothing in the world. I have a few pictures in my gallery showing just a fraction of what a Land Rover is capable of.
Other safety features include a fully enclosed ladder frame (instead of the usual "C" shaped frame, it is a full box - very rigid/strong for both off-roading as well as in case of any serious accident), low center of gravity (this suprises most, since they often look very top heavy), dual airbags, and a sensor that will shut the flow of fuel off in case of a roll over (has to be reset after the vehicle "attitude" has been corrected before the fuel will flow again).
On the question of likes/dislikes:
-love the off-road prowess/capabilities
-love the strength of the vehicle
-love the heritage
-love the customer service
-love the look
-love the safety of the vehicle
-dislike the towing capabilities, but it IS a short wheel-based SUV
-dislike the leg room "problem", I am 6'4" and this always matters to me
Since I have been going on for quite awhile, I will stop now. Feel free to ask more specific questions - I am always glad to answer what I can. The one thing to remember is this:
I bought my Land Rovers for their off-road capabilities and level of luxury. There are faster, more comfortable, luxury vehicles out there, but none of them can even come close the being able to do what a Land Rover can.
